A 1- $\mu\hbox {W}$ 600- $\hbox {p\pm}/^{\circ}\hbox {C}$ Current Reference Circuit Consis

A low-power CMOS current reference circuit was developed using a 0.35-μm standard CMOS process technology. The circuit consists of MOSFET circuits operating in the subthreshold region and uses no resistors. It compensates for the temperature effect on mobility μ and threshold voltage V_TH of MOSFETs and generates a reference current that is insensitive to temperature and supply voltage. Theoretical analyses and experimental results showed that the circuit generates a stable reference current of 100 nA. The temperature coefficient of the current was 520 ppm/°C at best and 600 ppm/°C on average in the range of 0°C-80°C. The line regulation was 0.2%/V in a supply voltage range of 1.8-3 V. The power dissipation was 1 μW, and the chip area was 0.015 mm². Our circuit would be suitable for use in subthreshold-operated power-aware large-scale integrations.